Over the summer when I read Life of Pi, I understood the plot well and knew what most of the animals and objects in the story were parallel to, but I did not realize that the animals had much deeper meanings hidden within their biology. I read the book mostly for plot and to know what happens, but I did not fully analyze the symbols used. By the end of this unit, I have learned just how much each character in a book should be researched. I have also learned how to use shorter quotes within my writing.
What's in a name?
Notes:
Pi shares many common characteristics with his nickname. Pi and the Greek letter π are both mysterious. Scientists try to calculate the entirety of π but they never find the end of the number. Pi has a story that is usually told mysteriously, and never gets closure with Richard Parker. The letter π is similarly endless and lacks closure. Pi comments about how that is ¨one thing I hate about my nickname, the way that number runs on forever" (Martel 285). Pi's story of survival never ends, and even when he reaches society he must still cope with what happened on the boat. Pi appreciates closure although he never receives the closure that he looks for. He wants to get past murdering a fellow survivor so ¨I pray for his soul everyday," but the death continues to haunt him (265). Pi says that ¨I wonder-could you tell my jumbled story in exactly one hundred chapters, not one more, not one less?" (285). But, like π, Pi does not receive closure that easily. After those one hundred chapters Pi still has experiences that make everyday life difficult. Pi also believes in life after death, so his life will go on infinitely. In the number 3.14, the number starts with three, much like his three religions, and there are three other people on the lifeboat at first. Including him, there are four. Twenty-two divided by seven is approximately π, and Pi is at sea for 227 days. The human cannot comprehend the full extent of the number, much like people, including Pi himself, cannot comprehend his own adventure. Pi's Perspective:
They say the human mind cannot comprehend the full extent of pi. I find that most cannot comprehend my story either. Even I round my irrational and infinite story off to make it easier on my mind. My survival extends past what I endured on that boat. I said once that when Richard Parker left with my instinctive nature that there is "one thing I hate about my nickname, the way that number runs on forever" (Martel 285). I appreciate closure but my survival never ended and I will never be the same again, just like my namesake never repeats. My life will never end, for I believe in the afterlife in three different religions just like that three-point-one-four that never ends when it follows that first three.
Motif Analysis: The Will to Live
Zebra
"The stripes don't melt?" 83, "Rolls-Royce of equids" 84, "It was a male Grant, weighing over five hundred pounds" 105, "glassy-eyed" 218, "I had no idea a living being could sustain so much injury and go on living" 128
Beauty of perseverance of life, struggles despite knowing it will die
Life is too beautiful to give up on
Hyena
"They'll start eating you while you're still alive" 37, "menace of a hyena" 129, "ugly beyond redemption" 115, "nothing goes to waste" 116, "They eat their own kind" 117, "delights are too many to admit to disgust at anything" 117
Will do absolutely anything, no matter how gruesome; people become what they hate to survive; Pi is irrational when he leaves his morals to survive
In times of great desperation, the will to survive overcomes rationality
Orange Juice (orangutan)
"As strong as ten men" 37, "Pondicherry fertility goddess, provider of milk and love" 111, "zoo star and mother of two fine boys" 112, "lovely as the Virgin Mary" 111, "what does a fruit eater know about killing?" 130, "The poor dear looked so humanly sick!" 122
Strength to survive peace but not during violent times; has the strength for both but not the experience
One needs experience and knowledge, not just resources to survive
Richard Parker (tiger)
"Next to Richard Parker, I was deaf, blind, and nose-dead" 108, "fierce, 450-pound carnivore" 108, "Richard Parker's head... size of the planet Jupiter... paws were like volumes of Encyclopaedia Britannica" 132
Character's will to survive was just instinct
In order to survive you have to trust your instincts, not your morals
Pi
Kills cook, eats humans, pities zebra, caught fish and turtles "turtles were an easy catch indeed" 196. "I kept myself busy. That was one key to my survival" 190, "My name is Piscine Molitor Patel, known to all as Pi Patel" 23
Will to live comes from love of life and God, but has to abandon God and morals to survive and reclaim them later; sacrificed peace and vegetarianism to continue to love god and life
A story with God is better, and life is a story; life with God is a key to survival
Animals
Hyena
"start eating you when you're still alive" (21)
"edge testimony to old violence" (62)
"hyena and a tiger in such a small space" (62)
"hyena was the reason those sailors had thrown me into the lifeboat" (62)
"to kill the hyena and put the zebra out of its misery" (64)
"hyena that worried me" (64)
"slightest of efforts" (64)
"highly unpredictable" (64)
"attack me without warning" (64)
"blank and frank" (65)
"started running in circles again" (65)
"anxiety that made the animal glow, as if with a fever" (65)
"every lap was identical to the previous one" (65)
"ugly beyond redemption" (65)
"discarded prototype"(65)
"leftovers of creation" (65)
"none of the classy ostentation" (65)
"symptoms of skin disease" (65)
"mouth is forever open and panting" (65)
"nostrils are too big" (65)
"tail is scraggly" (65)
"gait is shambling" (65)
"no dog anyone would want as a pet" (65)
"not cowardly carrion eaters" (65)
"devastating hunter" (65)
"never giving up for simple lack of will" (65)
"they are clever" (65)
"ten-minute-old gnu is a favourite dish" (65)
"diligent when their efforts are rewarded" (65)
"nothing goes to waste" (65)
"accidental cannibalism is a common occurrence" (65)
"delights are too many to admit disgust at anything" (65)
"drink from water even as it is urinating in it" (65)
"snack on excrement" (65)
"cool itself by relieving its bladder on the ground and stirring up a refreshing mud bath" (65)
"eat their own kind once they're dead, after a period of aversion that lasts about one day" (65-66)
"not their gastric juices that limit" (66)
"power of their jaws, which is formidable" (66)
"pain the eye and chill the heart" (66)
"vomited...dropped into what it had just produced" (66)
"zebra's broken leg was missing. The hyena had bitten it off and dragged it to the stern" (67)
"intense hatred for the hyena" (67)
"When your own life is threatened, your sense of empathy is blunted by a terrible, selfish hunger for survival" (67)
"with only a snarl for notice, the hyena went amok" (69)
"overwhelmed by the riches before it" (69)
"blood dripping from its mouth" (70)
"retreated behind the zebra's butchered body" (70)
"stomach was grossly dilated" (71)
"menace of a hyena" (71)
"hyena was up again in an instant" (72)
"knows what it wants and how to get it" (72)
"expertly got to her throat" (72)
"back behind what was left of the zebra" (74)
"seemed to want to hide from me" (75)
"the hyena had taken liberties" (75)
"responded with a whine" (81)
"died neither whining nor whimpering" (82)
Paragraph:
The spotted hyena represents the theme of twisted primitive thinking to survive stressful conditions. When faced with the odds of survival, animals give up any advanced morals and empathy, replacing unselfish feelings with primitive instinct that would be viewed as disgusting. In Life of Pi, the spotted hyena is constantly being described as "ugly beyond redemption" to show how terrible the animal is (Martel 65). The hyena is doing its best to survive, but part of its survival is to lose any morals it may have to obtain food. The struggle to survive is so extreme that hyenas constantly eat other animals while they are still alive, even eating each other to get as much food in their stomachs as possible. When a sentient being will torture others while obtaining food, it is viewed as something to "pain the eye and chill the heart" (Martel 66). Part of the disgust for hyenas stems from their cackling, which seems to taunt its prey. Pi sees that the hyena will seem placid then "with only a snarl for notice, the hyena went amok" (Martel 69). The spotted hyena gives the outward appearance of an insane organism, but the truly twisted part about them is that the basic need to survive compels them to commit these acts. Hyenas, especially males, make the cackling sound when they are frustrated about not being able to eat (Nicolas Mathevon). The stressful conditions revert hyenas to primitive thinking and they represent the idea that in extreme moments, beings will disregard moral codes and do whatever it takes to go on living. Pi fears the hyena because if there is no other option, anyone would be forced to go against their own codes to survive. The spotted hyena gave up so much empathy and compassion to get more food that when it finally fell, it "died neither whining nor whimpering" (Martel 82). The hyena had nothing left to do. The vicious creature had given everything it had to survive, so when it died, there was nothing left to say. In critical times, people will give up their values and do absolutely whatever it takes to survive, even if it makes them look insane.
Zebra
"zebra stabbed with a sword" (17)
"the stripes don't melt" (49)
"sank its teeth into the carrot and snapped it in two" (49)
"wondrous creature" (50)
"Rolls-Royce of equids" (50)
"stepped over the zerba and threw myself overboard" (57)
"missed the tarpaulin" (60)
"head thrashed about" (60)
"no doubt killed by now" (61)
"still alive" (62)
"should have been properly butchered" (62)
"put the zebra out of its misery" (64)
"familiar prey" (64)
"swiftly reared its head and barked" (64)
"fell into stupor" (65)
"all that will be left of a zebra is the skull" (65)
"mostly it lay in hopeless and sullen silence" (66)
"barking and squealing" (66)
"broken leg was missing" (67)
"suffering patiently" (67)
"wasn't at the end of its ordeal" (67)
"blood poured forth like a river" (69)
"came to life to defend itself" (69)
"eaten alive from the inside" (69)
"cries of the helpless zebra" (70)
"it was not only the day that died and the poor zebra, but my family as well" (70)
"The zebra was still alive. I couldn't believe it. It had a two-foot-wide hole in its body" (71)
"sustain so much injury and go on living" (71)
"glassy eyed...perfectly indifferent to the hyena's occasional assaults" (71)
"behind the zebra's carcass, transfixed" (82)
Paragraph:
The zebra in Life of Pi demonstrates the theme of life never giving up on itself, despite the futility. The zebra itself already knows its life is over, but he just will not give in. There is no way to save him while he is being "eaten alive from the inside," but the life in the zebra refuses to simply disappear (Martel 69). The zebra's situation is so hopeless that it "fell into stupor" (Martel 65). Pi wants someone to put the animal out of its misery, but the zebra itself does not lose its stripes from its hopeless situation. The zebra watches as its own "blood poured forth like a river" and yet when the hyena comes to finish it off, the valiant zebra "came to life to defend itself," when doing so simply prolongs its own pain (Martel 69). Zebras are social creatures that will aid one another when wounded (National Geographic). The zebra seems to think that waiting just a little longer will result in its rescue. Pi similarly imagines that he will be saved. Although he ends up reaching the shore, however, it is not due to a rescue party like the one the zebra expects but from his own adventures. The zebra shows that although he was dead before it started, life will eek out every last second of existence for the sake of existing.
Orang-utan
"stretching and yawning orang-utans" (9)
"pick through your hair" (10)
"who oversaw the orang-utans, my favourite keeper" (19)
"strong as ten men" (22)
"eager for chapatts as ever" (45)
"Father judiciously traded these for an extra orang-utan" (53)
"prize Borneo orang-utan matriarch, zoo star and mother of two fine boys" (63)
"rare seafaring green orang-utan...humanly sick" (68)
"smell of prey to a hyena, albeit a strange one" (68)
"cannot defeat an adult male spotted hyena" (72)
"What does a fruit eater know about killing?" (72)
"does not know how to use these as weapons" (72)
"Perhaps Orange Juice could be saved. I would climb aboard and be greeted by my family" (64)
"dying of shock" (64)
"not be an obstacle" (64)
"lifted her head only an inch or so and right away I saw her" (68)
"tongue was lolling about" (68)
"back turned to the hyena, as if she felt she could safely ignore it" (68)
"strapping males five ad eight years old that were her-and our-pride" (69)
"did not view these things indifferently" (70)
"showing off enormous canines, and began to roar" (70)
"Orange Juice's bass roar filled the lower range" (70)
"fidgeting and showing her teeth" (71)
"I underestimated her grit" (71)
"defence lacked precision and coherence" (72)
"looked like a simian Christ on the Cross" (72)
Paragraph:
Orange Juice the Orang-utan in Life of Pi represents the theme that to survive an animal must know how to use all assets at its disposal. Although Orange Juice does not have the knowledge herself, she is disadvantaged by her lack of experience in using her strength defensively. She does not know how to fight the hyena and that is why she dies. A mother orang-utan must raise her young until they are young adults (Orangutan Conservancy). Orange Juice has lived in the zoo since she was young, and has no experience surviving in the wild. She is pampered, and a "prize Borneo orang-utan matriarch, zoo star and mother of two fine boys" (Martel 63). Due to being well fed, she has the mass to compare to the male hyena, which is smaller than female hyenas, but her whole life has been peaceful. Pi notices the problem immediately, and asks "What does a fruit eater know about killing?" (Martel 72). The hyena, by contrast the hyena "knows what it wants and how to get it" (Martel 72). Orange Juice may be "strong as ten men" but the strength is useless if she does not have the experience (Martel 22). Without knowing how to use the assets at her disposal, Orange Juice is not prepared to survive without support.
Three-Toed Sloth
"calm, quiet and introspective" (4)
"intriguing creature" (4)
"habit is indolence" (4)
"440 times slower than a motivated cheetah" (4)
"firing guns next to sleeping or feeding sloths elicited little reaction" (5)
"Sleepiness and slothfulness keep it out of harm's way" (5)
"peaceful, vegetarian life" (5)
"wise beings whose intense imaginative lives were beyond the reach of my scientific probing" (5)
"reminded me of God" (5)
Paragraph:
In Life of Pi, Pi Patel spends time explaining his study of one of nature's most miraculous survivors, sloths, who survive by being overly passive and demonstrate the theme of action not always being the best action to take. The story explores many different methods of survival, but the most unlikely form is that of the three-toed sloth. Sloths have no predators, because they move so slowly that they are not seen by hunters who otherwise follow prey that tries to run away quickly. Instead of constantly cleansing themselves, sloths are passive even to algae growing in their fur (National Geographic). This ends up helping them by changing fur color to fit the season, enhancing camouflage. Sloths are so used to ignoring their surroundings that "firing guns next to a sleeping or feeding sloths elicited little reaction" (Martel 5). If even firing a gun next to it while it is most vulnerable will still be ignored, seeing a predator will not cause a sloth to accidentally reveal its own location. Sloths have one of the most foolproof forms of survival, and Pi even comments that they are "wise beings whose intense imaginative lives were beyond the reach of my scientific probing" and that they even "reminded me of God" (Martel 5). The other animals would have benefited from being as passive as the sloth. The zebra would have struggled less and therefore would have died sooner, with less pain, and Orange Juice would not have instigated the hyena and called attention to her presence if she had ignored the torment of the zebra. The three-toed sloth demonstrates that blending in with surroundings and not reacting to danger will help avoid the danger.
Works Cited
Aycinena, Alec. "Top 10 Animal Bites That Will Completely Destroy You." Listverse. Listverse Ltd., 04 Nov. 2012. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.
"Three-Toed Sloth." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 2015. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.
Three Toed Sloth: A Feamle Screaming for a Male. Dir. Bryson Voirin. Youtube. Youtube, 5 Mar. 2010. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.
"Zebra." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 2015. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.
Zebra Call. Dir. Damle Safaris. Youtube. Youtube, 1 Apr. 2014. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.
Rubber
Just like in Life of Pi, the movie Rubber uses frame narrative to examine unfavorable traits that are observed in others while the spectator does not believe that he or she carries those traits. In Life of Pi by Yann Martel, the story is introduced in the frame of a writer looking for a story, and when he is looking for his story, he finds the frame of an interview in which Pi tells his story. Pi sees carnivorous beasts on the lifeboat with him, and he is disgusted by what they do. To survive, Pi uses similar tactics, however, and in others, he sees exactly what he has become. The author who hears this story finds the account very interesting, not thinking that he would do the same if he were in a predicament like Pi's. In Rubber, the story of a living tire is shown in person to a group of tourists. The frame of spectators watching the movie is encompassed by a wise older man who watches the rest of the spectators as the story of the tire progresses. All he wants is to get his money's worth of the story and go home. Other audience members complain about the heat of the desert and want food, but the man remains seated in his wheelchair, irritated by their complaints. The director and lead actor of the reality-warping show does not want to continue his work, and tells his assistant to cook a poisonous turkey so that the hungry audience will be gone, and he can return to reality with the money he has earned. The assistant slaughters, plucks, then cooks a whole turkey in the hotel room right next to a guest who gets slain by the animate tire. The old man sees this with his binoculars, and when the assistant returns on a bike with the turkey, does not take part in the bout of eating. He sadly watches as the rest of the spectators tear at the turkey with their hands. The man comments that they are animals, but he will make the movie go on even if the rest are gong to give up what they paid to watch. The audience dies out slowly, and when the director decides that the poison has had time to take effect, he tells everyone in the story that everything is fake, shooting himself numerous times to prove that the killing tire is an act. When the tire continues its rampage of destruction across the desert, he gets a call from his assistant, who admits that a spectator did not eat the turkey, so he is forced to make the show go on. He tells his assistant to bring the final audience member a large assortment of delicacies and desserts, but the old man still refuses, and in frustration the assistant ends up eating the sweets himself. As the story is finally coming to a close, the previously silent and passive old man intervenes, questioning the final plot. The director gives up with his unsatisfied customer, and leaves, saying that the story is over. The old man realizes that the tire is still alive in the house that is surrounded by police, and approaches in his wheelchair to inspect it. The tire rolls in front of him and looks at him threateningly. The old man tells the tire that he is a mere spectator, and not a character. The tire does not understand and kills him, because he broke the fourth wall rule and did not let the story play out. The wise man who looked down upon the other characters for being impatient and behaving selfishly is no different from them. He himself ends up giving in to his personal desires and stops watching what he came to see. Pi similarly eats his fellow man and hunts fish while he blames the hyena and tiger for violence.
Plot Elements
Exposition - Pi is introduced as a young Indian boy who is in love with the zoo that his family runs. He has multiple religions, and is content. His parents decide that the family should move away from India, and they bring their animals with them on a ship. Rising Action - Pi's ship sinks and few of the passengers survive. He is stuck on the boat with a hyena, zebra, tiger, and orangutan. He struggles to survive and gradually finds out how to fish, while also keeping Richard Parker, the tiger, at bay. Climax - Pi finds a cannibal and an island of food, and realizes that he cannot stay there if he wants to remain human. He leaves and continues his journey to land. Falling Action - Pi and Richard Parker finally find the shore, and Richard Parker leaves Pi despite their adventures together without looking back. Resolution - The Japanese interviewers figure out what really happened on the lifeboat with Pi when Pi offers them two stories.
Table of Contents
Reflection
Over the summer when I read Life of Pi, I understood the plot well and knew what most of the animals and objects in the story were parallel to, but I did not realize that the animals had much deeper meanings hidden within their biology. I read the book mostly for plot and to know what happens, but I did not fully analyze the symbols used. By the end of this unit, I have learned just how much each character in a book should be researched. I have also learned how to use shorter quotes within my writing.What's in a name?
Notes:
Pi shares many common characteristics with his nickname. Pi and the Greek letter π are both mysterious. Scientists try to calculate the entirety of π but they never find the end of the number. Pi has a story that is usually told mysteriously, and never gets closure with Richard Parker. The letter π is similarly endless and lacks closure. Pi comments about how that is ¨one thing I hate about my nickname, the way that number runs on forever" (Martel 285). Pi's story of survival never ends, and even when he reaches society he must still cope with what happened on the boat. Pi appreciates closure although he never receives the closure that he looks for. He wants to get past murdering a fellow survivor so ¨I pray for his soul everyday," but the death continues to haunt him (265). Pi says that ¨I wonder-could you tell my jumbled story in exactly one hundred chapters, not one more, not one less?" (285). But, like π, Pi does not receive closure that easily. After those one hundred chapters Pi still has experiences that make everyday life difficult. Pi also believes in life after death, so his life will go on infinitely. In the number 3.14, the number starts with three, much like his three religions, and there are three other people on the lifeboat at first. Including him, there are four. Twenty-two divided by seven is approximately π, and Pi is at sea for 227 days. The human cannot comprehend the full extent of the number, much like people, including Pi himself, cannot comprehend his own adventure.Pi's Perspective:
They say the human mind cannot comprehend the full extent of pi. I find that most cannot comprehend my story either. Even I round my irrational and infinite story off to make it easier on my mind. My survival extends past what I endured on that boat. I said once that when Richard Parker left with my instinctive nature that there is "one thing I hate about my nickname, the way that number runs on forever" (Martel 285). I appreciate closure but my survival never ended and I will never be the same again, just like my namesake never repeats. My life will never end, for I believe in the afterlife in three different religions just like that three-point-one-four that never ends when it follows that first three.
Motif Analysis: The Will to Live
Animals
Hyena"edge testimony to old violence" (62)
"hyena and a tiger in such a small space" (62)
"hyena was the reason those sailors had thrown me into the lifeboat" (62)
"to kill the hyena and put the zebra out of its misery" (64)
"hyena that worried me" (64)
"slightest of efforts" (64)
"highly unpredictable" (64)
"attack me without warning" (64)
"blank and frank" (65)
"started running in circles again" (65)
"anxiety that made the animal glow, as if with a fever" (65)
"every lap was identical to the previous one" (65)
"ugly beyond redemption" (65)
"discarded prototype"(65)
"leftovers of creation" (65)
"none of the classy ostentation" (65)
"symptoms of skin disease" (65)
"mouth is forever open and panting" (65)
"nostrils are too big" (65)
"tail is scraggly" (65)
"gait is shambling" (65)
"no dog anyone would want as a pet" (65)
"not cowardly carrion eaters" (65)
"devastating hunter" (65)
"never giving up for simple lack of will" (65)
"they are clever" (65)
"ten-minute-old gnu is a favourite dish" (65)
"diligent when their efforts are rewarded" (65)
"nothing goes to waste" (65)
"accidental cannibalism is a common occurrence" (65)
"delights are too many to admit disgust at anything" (65)
"drink from water even as it is urinating in it" (65)
"snack on excrement" (65)
"cool itself by relieving its bladder on the ground and stirring up a refreshing mud bath" (65)
"eat their own kind once they're dead, after a period of aversion that lasts about one day" (65-66)
"not their gastric juices that limit" (66)
"power of their jaws, which is formidable" (66)
"pain the eye and chill the heart" (66)
"vomited...dropped into what it had just produced" (66)
"zebra's broken leg was missing. The hyena had bitten it off and dragged it to the stern" (67)
"intense hatred for the hyena" (67)
"When your own life is threatened, your sense of empathy is blunted by a terrible, selfish hunger for survival" (67)
"with only a snarl for notice, the hyena went amok" (69)
"overwhelmed by the riches before it" (69)
"blood dripping from its mouth" (70)
"retreated behind the zebra's butchered body" (70)
"stomach was grossly dilated" (71)
"menace of a hyena" (71)
"hyena was up again in an instant" (72)
"knows what it wants and how to get it" (72)
"expertly got to her throat" (72)
"back behind what was left of the zebra" (74)
"seemed to want to hide from me" (75)
"the hyena had taken liberties" (75)
"responded with a whine" (81)
"died neither whining nor whimpering" (82)
About the Hyena:
The hyena has complex systems of hierarchy and cackles when it is frustrated about wanting food, and matriarchs dominate over males.
Opportunistic feeders who do not need much water, and often eat humans. They eat almost everything that they see.
Male hyenas are completely dominated by males, while the animals are highly intelligent, even smarted than chimpanzees. Hyenas know how to hunt in vicious and cunning manners.
Spotted hyenas have stronger jaws than tigers and lions.
Paragraph:
The spotted hyena represents the theme of twisted primitive thinking to survive stressful conditions. When faced with the odds of survival, animals give up any advanced morals and empathy, replacing unselfish feelings with primitive instinct that would be viewed as disgusting. In Life of Pi, the spotted hyena is constantly being described as "ugly beyond redemption" to show how terrible the animal is (Martel 65). The hyena is doing its best to survive, but part of its survival is to lose any morals it may have to obtain food. The struggle to survive is so extreme that hyenas constantly eat other animals while they are still alive, even eating each other to get as much food in their stomachs as possible. When a sentient being will torture others while obtaining food, it is viewed as something to "pain the eye and chill the heart" (Martel 66). Part of the disgust for hyenas stems from their cackling, which seems to taunt its prey. Pi sees that the hyena will seem placid then "with only a snarl for notice, the hyena went amok" (Martel 69). The spotted hyena gives the outward appearance of an insane organism, but the truly twisted part about them is that the basic need to survive compels them to commit these acts. Hyenas, especially males, make the cackling sound when they are frustrated about not being able to eat (Nicolas Mathevon). The stressful conditions revert hyenas to primitive thinking and they represent the idea that in extreme moments, beings will disregard moral codes and do whatever it takes to go on living. Pi fears the hyena because if there is no other option, anyone would be forced to go against their own codes to survive. The spotted hyena gave up so much empathy and compassion to get more food that when it finally fell, it "died neither whining nor whimpering" (Martel 82). The hyena had nothing left to do. The vicious creature had given everything it had to survive, so when it died, there was nothing left to say. In critical times, people will give up their values and do absolutely whatever it takes to survive, even if it makes them look insane.
Zebra
"the stripes don't melt" (49)
"sank its teeth into the carrot and snapped it in two" (49)
"wondrous creature" (50)
"Rolls-Royce of equids" (50)
"stepped over the zerba and threw myself overboard" (57)
"missed the tarpaulin" (60)
"head thrashed about" (60)
"no doubt killed by now" (61)
"still alive" (62)
"should have been properly butchered" (62)
"put the zebra out of its misery" (64)
"familiar prey" (64)
"swiftly reared its head and barked" (64)
"fell into stupor" (65)
"all that will be left of a zebra is the skull" (65)
"mostly it lay in hopeless and sullen silence" (66)
"barking and squealing" (66)
"broken leg was missing" (67)
"suffering patiently" (67)
"wasn't at the end of its ordeal" (67)
"blood poured forth like a river" (69)
"came to life to defend itself" (69)
"eaten alive from the inside" (69)
"cries of the helpless zebra" (70)
"it was not only the day that died and the poor zebra, but my family as well" (70)
"The zebra was still alive. I couldn't believe it. It had a two-foot-wide hole in its body" (71)
"sustain so much injury and go on living" (71)
"glassy eyed...perfectly indifferent to the hyena's occasional assaults" (71)
"behind the zebra's carcass, transfixed" (82)
About the Zebra:
A zebra's call sounds like sadistic laughter.
Zebras have lions and hyenas as primary predators, and wounded members of a group of zebras is protected. Their stripes are unique like fingerprints.
Zebras are very social beings who use facial signals to communicate.
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The zebra in Life of Pi demonstrates the theme of life never giving up on itself, despite the futility. The zebra itself already knows its life is over, but he just will not give in. There is no way to save him while he is being "eaten alive from the inside," but the life in the zebra refuses to simply disappear (Martel 69). The zebra's situation is so hopeless that it "fell into stupor" (Martel 65). Pi wants someone to put the animal out of its misery, but the zebra itself does not lose its stripes from its hopeless situation. The zebra watches as its own "blood poured forth like a river" and yet when the hyena comes to finish it off, the valiant zebra "came to life to defend itself," when doing so simply prolongs its own pain (Martel 69). Zebras are social creatures that will aid one another when wounded (National Geographic). The zebra seems to think that waiting just a little longer will result in its rescue. Pi similarly imagines that he will be saved. Although he ends up reaching the shore, however, it is not due to a rescue party like the one the zebra expects but from his own adventures. The zebra shows that although he was dead before it started, life will eek out every last second of existence for the sake of existing.
Orang-utan"pick through your hair" (10)
"who oversaw the orang-utans, my favourite keeper" (19)
"strong as ten men" (22)
"eager for chapatts as ever" (45)
"Father judiciously traded these for an extra orang-utan" (53)
"prize Borneo orang-utan matriarch, zoo star and mother of two fine boys" (63)
"rare seafaring green orang-utan...humanly sick" (68)
"smell of prey to a hyena, albeit a strange one" (68)
"cannot defeat an adult male spotted hyena" (72)
"What does a fruit eater know about killing?" (72)
"does not know how to use these as weapons" (72)
"Perhaps Orange Juice could be saved. I would climb aboard and be greeted by my family" (64)
"dying of shock" (64)
"not be an obstacle" (64)
"lifted her head only an inch or so and right away I saw her" (68)
"tongue was lolling about" (68)
"back turned to the hyena, as if she felt she could safely ignore it" (68)
"strapping males five ad eight years old that were her-and our-pride" (69)
"did not view these things indifferently" (70)
"showing off enormous canines, and began to roar" (70)
"Orange Juice's bass roar filled the lower range" (70)
"fidgeting and showing her teeth" (71)
"I underestimated her grit" (71)
"defence lacked precision and coherence" (72)
"looked like a simian Christ on the Cross" (72)
About the Orang-utan:
The animals are very closely related to humans, with advanced intellect. Very long periods are necessary for a mother to teach her young how to survive. Babies stay with their mother until their teens.
Paragraph:Orange Juice the Orang-utan in Life of Pi represents the theme that to survive an animal must know how to use all assets at its disposal. Although Orange Juice does not have the knowledge herself, she is disadvantaged by her lack of experience in using her strength defensively. She does not know how to fight the hyena and that is why she dies. A mother orang-utan must raise her young until they are young adults (Orangutan Conservancy). Orange Juice has lived in the zoo since she was young, and has no experience surviving in the wild. She is pampered, and a "prize Borneo orang-utan matriarch, zoo star and mother of two fine boys" (Martel 63). Due to being well fed, she has the mass to compare to the male hyena, which is smaller than female hyenas, but her whole life has been peaceful. Pi notices the problem immediately, and asks "What does a fruit eater know about killing?" (Martel 72). The hyena, by contrast the hyena "knows what it wants and how to get it" (Martel 72). Orange Juice may be "strong as ten men" but the strength is useless if she does not have the experience (Martel 22). Without knowing how to use the assets at her disposal, Orange Juice is not prepared to survive without support.
Three-Toed Sloth
"intriguing creature" (4)
"habit is indolence" (4)
"440 times slower than a motivated cheetah" (4)
"firing guns next to sleeping or feeding sloths elicited little reaction" (5)
"Sleepiness and slothfulness keep it out of harm's way" (5)
"peaceful, vegetarian life" (5)
"wise beings whose intense imaginative lives were beyond the reach of my scientific probing" (5)
"reminded me of God" (5)
About the Three-Toed Sloth:
This sloth makes a high pitched squeal when looking for a mate.
The three-toed sloth is the slowest mammal, and spends most of its life aloft in trees. The sloths are good swimmers. Algae grows in the fur and provides seasonal camouflage.
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In Life of Pi, Pi Patel spends time explaining his study of one of nature's most miraculous survivors, sloths, who survive by being overly passive and demonstrate the theme of action not always being the best action to take. The story explores many different methods of survival, but the most unlikely form is that of the three-toed sloth. Sloths have no predators, because they move so slowly that they are not seen by hunters who otherwise follow prey that tries to run away quickly. Instead of constantly cleansing themselves, sloths are passive even to algae growing in their fur (National Geographic). This ends up helping them by changing fur color to fit the season, enhancing camouflage. Sloths are so used to ignoring their surroundings that "firing guns next to a sleeping or feeding sloths elicited little reaction" (Martel 5). If even firing a gun next to it while it is most vulnerable will still be ignored, seeing a predator will not cause a sloth to accidentally reveal its own location. Sloths have one of the most foolproof forms of survival, and Pi even comments that they are "wise beings whose intense imaginative lives were beyond the reach of my scientific probing" and that they even "reminded me of God" (Martel 5). The other animals would have benefited from being as passive as the sloth. The zebra would have struggled less and therefore would have died sooner, with less pain, and Orange Juice would not have instigated the hyena and called attention to her presence if she had ignored the torment of the zebra. The three-toed sloth demonstrates that blending in with surroundings and not reacting to danger will help avoid the danger.
Works Cited
Aycinena, Alec. "Top 10 Animal Bites That Will Completely Destroy You." Listverse. Listverse Ltd., 04 Nov. 2012. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.
Bradford, Alina. "Zebra Facts." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 17 Oct. 2014. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.
Janssen, Paul. "Hyena Facts." Out to Africa. Paul Janssen, n.d. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.
Lenz, Lyz. "12 Wild Facts About Hyenas." Mental Floss. Felix Dennis, 1 May 2015. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.
Mathevon, Nicolas. "Hyena Giggles: No Laughing Matter." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 21 May 2009. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.
"Orangutan Facts." Orangutan Conservancy. Orangutan Conservancy, 2015. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.
"Three-Toed Sloth." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 2015. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.
Three Toed Sloth: A Feamle Screaming for a Male. Dir. Bryson Voirin. Youtube. Youtube, 5 Mar. 2010. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.
"Zebra." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 2015. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.
Zebra Call. Dir. Damle Safaris. Youtube. Youtube, 1 Apr. 2014. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.
Rubber
Just like in Life of Pi, the movie Rubber uses frame narrative to examine unfavorable traits that are observed in others while the spectator does not believe that he or she carries those traits. In Life of Pi by Yann Martel, the story is introduced in the frame of a writer looking for a story, and when he is looking for his story, he finds the frame of an interview in which Pi tells his story. Pi sees carnivorous beasts on the lifeboat with him, and he is disgusted by what they do. To survive, Pi uses similar tactics, however, and in others, he sees exactly what he has become. The author who hears this story finds the account very interesting, not thinking that he would do the same if he were in a predicament like Pi's. In Rubber, the story of a living tire is shown in person to a group of tourists. The frame of spectators watching the movie is encompassed by a wise older man who watches the rest of the spectators as the story of the tire progresses. All he wants is to get his money's worth of the story and go home. Other audience members complain about the heat of the desert and want food, but the man remains seated in his wheelchair, irritated by their complaints. The director and lead actor of the reality-warping show does not want to continue his work, and tells his assistant to cook a poisonous turkey so that the hungry audience will be gone, and he can return to reality with the money he has earned. The assistant slaughters, plucks, then cooks a whole turkey in the hotel room right next to a guest who gets slain by the animate tire. The old man sees this with his binoculars, and when the assistant returns on a bike with the turkey, does not take part in the bout of eating. He sadly watches as the rest of the spectators tear at the turkey with their hands. The man comments that they are animals, but he will make the movie go on even if the rest are gong to give up what they paid to watch. The audience dies out slowly, and when the director decides that the poison has had time to take effect, he tells everyone in the story that everything is fake, shooting himself numerous times to prove that the killing tire is an act. When the tire continues its rampage of destruction across the desert, he gets a call from his assistant, who admits that a spectator did not eat the turkey, so he is forced to make the show go on. He tells his assistant to bring the final audience member a large assortment of delicacies and desserts, but the old man still refuses, and in frustration the assistant ends up eating the sweets himself. As the story is finally coming to a close, the previously silent and passive old man intervenes, questioning the final plot. The director gives up with his unsatisfied customer, and leaves, saying that the story is over. The old man realizes that the tire is still alive in the house that is surrounded by police, and approaches in his wheelchair to inspect it. The tire rolls in front of him and looks at him threateningly. The old man tells the tire that he is a mere spectator, and not a character. The tire does not understand and kills him, because he broke the fourth wall rule and did not let the story play out. The wise man who looked down upon the other characters for being impatient and behaving selfishly is no different from them. He himself ends up giving in to his personal desires and stops watching what he came to see. Pi similarly eats his fellow man and hunts fish while he blames the hyena and tiger for violence.
Plot Elements
Exposition - Pi is introduced as a young Indian boy who is in love with the zoo that his family runs. He has multiple religions, and is content. His parents decide that the family should move away from India, and they bring their animals with them on a ship.Rising Action - Pi's ship sinks and few of the passengers survive. He is stuck on the boat with a hyena, zebra, tiger, and orangutan. He struggles to survive and gradually finds out how to fish, while also keeping Richard Parker, the tiger, at bay.
Climax - Pi finds a cannibal and an island of food, and realizes that he cannot stay there if he wants to remain human. He leaves and continues his journey to land.
Falling Action - Pi and Richard Parker finally find the shore, and Richard Parker leaves Pi despite their adventures together without looking back.
Resolution - The Japanese interviewers figure out what really happened on the lifeboat with Pi when Pi offers them two stories.